Western Region Holds Successful Women's Camp

The USA Team Handball Women’s Western Regional Evaluation and Summer Camp took place this past weekend at the LA Galaxy Soccer Center, located in Torrance, Calif. The camp, led by western regional coaches Luis Palencia and Julio Sainz, featured athletes from seven cities in the region. The majority of the participants were athletes seeking eligibility for the USATH National Team pools and/or membership in the Women Western Regional Team which will compete against other USATH regions in future tournaments.
The regional camp was open to athletes interested in furthering their handball development as well as to athletes curious about this fascinating sport. The camp consisted of six hours of sport-specific handball training and a conference covering details of the USATH Residency Program in Auburn, Ala.
Coaches Luis Palencia and Julio Sainz were very excited about the success of the camp. Coach Palencia stated, “the camp provided the athletes with an opportunity to train with a different mindset, and with the common objective of possibly representing the country in the future.” Coach Palencia also expressed his pleasure that the camp allowed active athletes from different clubs in the region to train together and learn from each other.

Haywood Wright, a current Women’s National Team pool member said, “the ideas presented by Coach Sainz helped her to further enhance her knowledge of the sport.”

All participants were of the opinion that regional training camps such as this one are beneficial for their personal development and the development of the sport in general. Coach Palencia and Sainz reported that they believe that athletes from this group have the potential to succeed at the upcoming Women’s National Team tryout in Auburn, Ala., on July 12. Therefore, further evaluation by National Team Head Coach, Christian Latulippe, will follow.
Additionally, the camp served as a converging point for the celebration of the 2014 Olympic Day, and was featured on the USOC Olympic Day page. This unique feature attracted a group of people that passed by the gym and observed some of the practices.

All participants in the camp received an Olympic Day commemorative certificate of participation from the USOC and a USATH Western Regional Team Jersey.
Coaches Luis Palencia and Julio Sainz have informed USATH that based on the success of the camp they are already working on another training camp to be hosted at the San Francisco Bay Area within the next two months.